Businesses have embraced automation technologies for a range of requirements and needs throughout the past several years, driven by demands to create the most efficient, productive and lean operations possible. Although many will start with simple, straightforward types of process automation including e-invoicing, enterprise resource planning, accounting and reporting, more are beginning to deploy more advanced frameworks to truly drive success throughout the organization.
Business process automation can have a substantial and positive impact on the average company, with employees, customers and decision-makers themselves seeing the amount of time it takes to complete tasks go down following the advent of these investments. Before competitors gain the edge through the proactive deployment of these advanced automation solutions, leaders must try to be quick to the punch, getting operational management in optimal condition.
How important is automation?
CIO Insight recently reported that a new study revealed roughly 98 percent of leaders responding to a survey believe that business process automation is now a mission-critical matter for their organizations. Although the group surveyed does not accurately reflect the full private sector's rate of use when it comes to automation software, it is indicative of the rising tide of demand for these tools that has taken place for several years running.
With respect to the ways in which automation is impacting businesses, the source pointed out that 61 percent of the survey group believed that the investments played a major role in enhancing customer and user engagement, while 59 percent have seen productivity rise. Not surprisingly, it appears as though companies are just beginning to scratch the surface with these investments, as the next stages of deployment are a bit more complex.
According to the news provider, more than eight out of every 10 respondents believe that their cloud and virtualized environment management strategies will be forever changed by automation.
How to get started
Business process automation takes a bit more finesse when it comes to reaching optimal returns on investment, and this begins with getting the initial deployment right. One of the best ways to ensure that the investment is properly configured, integrated, maintained and utilized is to use a reliable provider of software services, as this will take the guesswork out of the equation and often lead to stronger results throughout the lifecycle of each implemented tool.
